Today, we present you, yet with another batch of new Guatemalan books that will further enrich our already strong circulating collections on Central America. At the library, we are striving to develop a sustainable collection of books in the indigenous languages of Latin America. On one hand, we see a multitude of high-quality Spanish language print materials that are published each year in Latin America. While on the other hand, we see that many libraries shy away from purchasing and collecting the books in the indigenous, autochthonous languages of the region. Sometimes, lack of linguistic expertise, low use and lack of audience enthusiasm are cited as some potential reasons. Nevertheless, these books will add in our opinion, a shade of distinctiveness to UC Berkeley’s Indigenous Languages collections in the future.

Humberto Ak’abal’s poetry remains well-known in the literary world. Above, we post a clip of him reciting his poetry at the Festival de Poesía: Lenguas de América 2012.

Immediately below, if you scroll down, you will see an icon of new books from Guatemala. Please click on the icon to get access to several photographs of newly purchased Guatemalan books.

 

 

This week, Guatemala’s newly elected deputies will be taking their oath of office so that they can minister the affairs of the Guatemalan state. While, the memories of the overthrow of the legitimately elected president Jacobo Arbenz, and the following era of military administrations and the bloody civil war are fresh, the new beginnings always seem to have an allure of a promise.  Whether the promise gets fulfilled or not will be another matter. Nevertheless, as a librarian, I continue to purchase books from Guatemala for our inquisitive student body! Below I leave you with some images of newly acquired Guatemalan books that will I believe serve as an inspiration for your well-rounded preparation at one of the greatest universities on our planet- the University of California!

One notable important book that we have purchased is RACISMO, GENOCIDIO Y MEMORIA by Casaús Arzú, Marta Elena.

Her book presentation/ discussion can be watched below.

 

 

Please click on the icon below to enjoy some photos of bilingual as well as Spanish language publications from Guatemala.

 

 

 

The current continuing situation in Brazil means the diverse body of literature that is published in this huge country is virtually impossible to capture when one is on a limited collection budget. However, at UC Berkeley’s Doe Library, we strive to collect the books that are relevant to current teaching and research on campus while not losing the site of the future utility of such collections to potential users. In this year 2020, we present you with the select books from Brazil that might be of research interest to a wide body of students and faculty.

Please click on the icon below to access some selected photos of new Brazilian books. We wish you all the best in this new year 2020! Bossa Nova is inspiring indeed! Here is one clip that might your day or evening!

The current geopolitical situation in Ecuador and protests by the indigenous communities mandate special attention when it comes to developing the Ecuador collection at UC Berkeley Library.  We strive to get books from different perspectives so that the users can make up their own minds about what the Ecuadorian publishing looks like. Sometimes, these items are defined as high-value low use types of books that will serve perhaps a very niche layer of the intended audience- like students, researchers, and faculty. Nevertheless, the Andean collection could not be complete without Ecuador. We present to you the recent purchases of Ecuadorian books below. Please click on the icon belwo to access the full album.

The recent events in Puerto Rico remind us of the importance of building a long-lasting collection of Puerto Rican items on the West Coast of the United States.  We have been steadily building our collections of the Caribbean Studies given our surging faculty interests in the Caribbean. We are fortunate to have Professors Tom McEnaney, Daylet Domínguez and Elena Schneider on the campus who constantly keep me motivating and inspiring. I present you with new Puerto Rican books that can be borrowed and used.

 

 

 

 

Despite the historic visit of President Obama to Cuba and subsequent gestures to open the trade and communications, acquiring the Cuban books remains a formidable task. We continue to purchase available relevant academic level Cuban books to meet the current research needs of our users. The album below contains a relatively small batch of Cuban book. Please click on the icon below to access the rest of the album. If you have any specific requests about any other Latin American Studies related materials please feel free to contact me by email.

Center for Latin American Studies University of California, Berkeley

Today   Film Screening and Live Q&A The Order I Live In: An Indoor Urban Symphony With Co-Director Francisco Cruces Cities have been narrated from manifold perspectives, but rarely from the inside. This ethnographic documentary on contemporary urban life highlights the voices of 20 people in Madrid, Mexico City, and Montevideo. Through narrative, stories, and objects, the “city” is no longer an anonymous locus of commodities, industry, and mass human relations, but rather a space for personal assertion and self-discovery, as well as the continuities and ruptures of modern living. 63 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles. After the screening, co-director Francisco Cruces will take part in a live Q&A. He is Professor of Anthropology at Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia in Spain, and a Visiting Scholar at UC Berkeley. Monday, November 4, 4:00 pm CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street Next week: Dams and Brazil Itaipu Dam in Brazil. (Photo courtesy of Duke University Press.) Jacob Blanc Before the Flood: The Itaipu Dam and the Visibility of Rural Brazil A Conversation with the Author In the 1970s and 1980s, Brazilian communities facing displacement by the Itaipu Dam — which is now largest producer of hydroelectric power in the world — stood up against the military officials overseeing the dam’s construction. In the context of an emerging national fight for democracy, they elevated their struggle for land into a referendum on the dictatorship itself. Jacob Blanc will discuss his new book, which traces the protest movements of Brazilians living in the shadow of the Itaipu dam, challenges the primacy of urban-focused narratives, and unearths the rural experiences of dictatorship and democracy in Brazil. Jacob Blanc is a Lecturer in Latin American History at the University of Edinburgh. His new book, Before the Flood: The Itaipu Dam and the Visibility of Rural Brazil will be published by Duke University Press in December 2019. Tuesday, November 12, 4:00 pm CLAS Conference Room, 2334 Bowditch Street New screening (Image from ¡Las Sandinistas!) Cine Latino ¡Las Sandinistas! Directed by Jenny Murray (United States, 2018) Trailer for the film   ¡Las Sandinistas! reveals the untold stories of Nicaraguan women warriors and social revolutionaries who shattered barriers during Nicaragua’s 1979 Sandinista Revolution and the ensuing U.S.-backed Contra War. Today, as the current Sandinista government is erasing these women’s stories of heroism, social reform, and military accomplishments from history books, these same women are fighting to reclaim history – and are once again leading inspiring popular movements for equality and democracy. 96 minutes. Spanish with English subtitles. “A documentary of ripe impact and value… with its rich archival footage, and its nuts-and-bolts view of a revolution that was every bit as seismic as the one in Cuba, it’s instructive to see how the rebellion against an autocracy gets built: gun by gun, body by body, skirmish by skirmish.” – Variety All Cine Latino screenings are free to the public. No registration or tickets are required. Please check clas.berkeley.edu to confirm time and location Tuesday, November 12, 7:00 pm NEW LOCATION: 106 Moffitt Library